Kerrick Moore of Bowling Green is one of 27 high school juniors participating in the Hutton Junior Fisheries Biology Program.

Moore, a home school student from Bowling Green who has just completed his junior year, is working with Dr. Philip Lienesch of Western Kentucky University’s Department of Biology, and Fisheries Biologist Eric Cummins of Kentucky Fish & Wildlife Resources. Moore will be assisting these researchers with stream, river and reservoir projects this summer to gain experience and insight into the fisheries profession.

He will be awarded a scholarship from AFS.

The principal goal of the Hutton Program is to stimulate interest in careers in fisheries science and management. Application to the program is open to all 11th and 12th grade students regardless of race, creed, or gender. Because the program seeks to increase diversity within the fisheries professions, qualified women and minority applicants are strongly encouraged to apply. Each student chosen for the program is awarded a $3,000 scholarship and is matched with a professional mentor for a summer-long, hands-on experience in fisheries science.

As evidenced by the final reports of students and mentors who have participated in the Hutton Program, the students benefit substantially from their summer mentoring experience. For most students, the Hutton Program is their first exposure to a professional work setting where they learn what qualities are necessary to be successful in that environment and the importance of being able to function well as part of a team. The students gain an awareness of conservation issues and the importance of healthy aquatic systems; participate in projects that benefit habitat restoration, protection, and management; and gain an understanding of what is involved in being a fisheries biologist and of the career opportunities available in the field.

In Hutton’s 13th year, AFS received 57 student applications from across the United States of America and Canada, and selected 27 to receive scholarships and mentorships. Of the exceptional students chosen for the Hutton this summer, nearly half are minorities, and nearly two-thirds are females.

This summer, Hutton Scholars will be working with their mentors in British Columbia, Canada and 14 states, including California, Indiana, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, North Carolina, New Jersey, Oregon, Washington and Wisconsin.

Financial support for the 2014 Hutton Program is provided by NOAA Fisheries Service, USDA Forest Service, U.S. Department of the Interior – BLM, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources,

Kerrick Moore

U.S. Geological Survey, NOAA Northwest Fisheries and Science Center, Lake Superior State University Fisheries & Wildlife Club, and University of Maryland Eastern Shore AFS Student Subunit. The Hutton Program also receives support from the AFS Education Section, AFS Fisheries Administration Section, AFS Fisheries Management Section and several other AFS units, as well as many individual AFS members.

For information on the American Fisheries Society and the Hutton Junior Fisheries Biology Program, please visit the AFS website at http://www.fisheries.org, or contact the Hutton Program Coordinator, American Fisheries Society, 301-897-8616, Ext. 213, hutton@fisheries.org.